NFL, son.
AFC/NFC East. The AFC East is a division of improving teams and one titan. The Patriots have ruled the roost for the past several seasons. Led by the superhuman Tom Brady, New Englanders once again can look forward to a shot at a Super Bowl. The Pats have lost some key pieces from their recent run (Crennel, Weis; this offseason, McGinest, Givens.) But as long as Brady is the QB and Bill Bilechik is the coach, you can't count the Pats out. They added some impact rookie talent in Laurence Maroney, who'll serve as Corey Dillon's understudy for now, and WR Chad Jackson, possibly the steal of the draft. Provided the get Deion Branch signed at some point and they have a healthy defense (unlike last year) New England should claim the division. The closest competition they'll get is from the Miami Dolphins. Nick Saban came in and really surprised some people (like me, dispelling, at least in this instance, the notion that college coaches don't succeed in the NFL.) Daunte Culpepper is the ultimate wild card. He could either be an MVP-, Pro Bowl-level player or ineffective and possibly sidelined. If he's healthy, look out. Ronnie Brown is a star in the making and WR Chris Chambers and TE Randy McMichael are very good. The Dolphins D is always good and Saban injects his toughness all over. 9-7 last year was shocking. This year Miami can't sneak up on anyone. The Jets are another team with questions. Who plays quarterback? If Chad Pennington's the guy, how is his health? Can Eric Mangini win over his players as a first-time head coach? If Pennington is healthy, New York could be decent. Curtis Martin is aging but the recent addition of Kevan Barlow helps. Leveranues Coles is a solid wide out but the Jets need some help there. Jonathon Vilma leads the D, who'll have to replace the departed John Abraham. Buffalo is average at best. I like J.P. Losman a lot, I'm reminded of a young Jeff Garcia-type QB. But he hasn't looked good very often and Kelly Holcomb always lurks. Willis McGahee is nice. Lee Evans is their best receiver and he isn't great. The Bills reached in the draft taking S Donte Whitner, who most projected as a mid- to late-first rounder at 8, and then on John McCargo late-first, likely available in round two. Then they get steals later like Youboty and Simpson so go figure.
Projected order of finish and record: New England, 11-5. Miami, 10-6. New York J, 8-8. Buffalo, 6-10.
The NFC East is clearly the best division in football and will likely provide some of the best storylines to follow. And no story is bigger than T.O. in Dallas. Owens and Parcell, what a combo! T.O.'s practice habits have been well documented, as has his first go at a non-west coast system. Dallas can either be a Super Bowl team or bust, literally. Drew Bledsoe is solid, Julius Jones, if healthy, is money, and the receiving corps, even before T.O., was solid, with Terry Glenn and Jason Witten. With T.O. they could be dynamite. Defensively the Cowboys have been improving the last few years, adding young talent. They should be very good again. Can T.O. behave? We'll all have to wait and see. Washington will be very good again. Mark Brunell was great last year. Santana Moss looks undefendable at times and Clinton Portis is among the NFL's best backs. Not only do the Redskins have HoFer Joe Gibbs at the helm, but OC Al Saunders and DC Greg Williams, both head coach-caliber guys. They'll be good on both sides of the ball, and should Dallas falter, look for Washington to step in. Unless the Giants should win the division. Eli Manning looks to take his game to the next level after his first year as starter. Plaxico Burress is underrated and complimentary pass-catchers like Amani Toomer and Jeremy Shockey provide Mannning with options. And then you have Tiki Barber, who put up MVP-type numbers last year. The defense needs to improve and should with Lavar Arrington in the fold and rooks like Mathias Kiwanuka helping Stahan and Umenyiora. The worst team in the East is still pretty good in the Philidelphia Eagles. With the ultimate risk/reward, superstar/supercancer, T.O. gone to Dallas, Philly looks to move on with some solid talent. Donovan McNabb is still a top 10 QB and while the receivers aren't great (or maybe even all that good...) they're adequate. Brian Westbrook is a dangerous dual threat and L.J. Smith is an improving TE. Defensively the Eagles are solid, with Pro Bowlers Kearse, Sheppard, Dawkins, etc still in the fold and young guys like Broderick Bunckley. Any of these four teams could win the division, though the Eagles are a step below the rest.
Projected order of finish and record: Dallas, 11-5. New York G, 11-5. Washington, 10-6. Philadelphia, 8-8.
Movie review: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. This is an unusual review in that I didn't actually see the entire movie. With about 20 minutes left (according to my buddy who'd already seen it) the reel broke (somehow.) So the overall grade is with a semi-asterisk, or perhaps, "an astericked-asterick, if you will. Will Ferrell is the funniest man alive. The writing wasn't that great but Ferrell pulls all possible juice from even the dryest fruit. The scene where Ricky Bobby says grace before dinner is one of the 5 or 10 funniest scenes of all-time. ALL TIME. I didn't see the ending but it's obviously not fractal geometry to guess how the story plays out. Plus I despise A.) auto racing, B.) Nascar, C.) Nascar fans, and D.) Nascar culture so I was thrilled to see a movie that makes fun of this ridiculously asanine segement of the sports populace. And, sadly, I have to say I was disappointed with Sasha Baron Cohen, a.k.a. Ali G. He really wasn't all that funny (I had high hopes, he's usually hilarious.) Grade: (without Ferrell) C-. With him, B+.
Next week I bring you NFL playoff predictions and award winners, as well as a complete college football forecast. Be there.
Quote of the Week:
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men lived."-General George Patton.
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